Wash basin



A ril 8, 1969 c. AECHTER 3,436,766

WASH BASIN Filed April 18, 1967 INVENTOR CHRISTIAN AECHTER United States Patent 3,436,766 WASH BASIN Christian Aechter, Starnberg, Germany, assignor to Publicon AG, Zug, Switzerland Filed Apr. 18, 1967, Ser. No. 631,785 Int. Cl. A47k 1/04 US. Cl. 4-166 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A wash basin is disclosed with at least one side portion depending from the main body of the basin. The side portion is provided with a passage for receiving a water supply line or fitting to supply water to a nearby water consumer, as for instance a bath tub.

Background of the invention The present invention relates to a wash basin with laterally disposed and downwardly extending protective casings or side portions.

It is known to guarantee in bathrooms the water supply to the various water consumers, such as e.g. washing basins, foot bath-tubs, bath tubs, bidets, etc., by leading a separate water supply pipe to each consumer from a main or central hot and cold water supply line, and by providing an individual fitting, such as a mixing chamber or the like, at each consumer.

In order not to impair the outer appearance of a bathroom, the water supply pipes are disposed behind the wall or a protective wall cover, for example behind the tiles, and the fittings, i.e. the mixing chamber water outlet, or shower etc., are mounted to the wall or the protective cover of the wall, respectively.

This type of installation is complicated and costly due to the necessary large amount of construction material, such as pipes and fittings and also due to the high labor cost when embedding such material in the wall.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to avoid such uneconomic conditions or at least to reduce them to a large extent and yet to obtain the same final results, i.e. to assure the necessary supply of water to all water consumers.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be appreciated and more fully understood with reference to the following detailed description, when considered with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a lateral view of a wash basin according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a sectional view of the wash basin along line 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a sectional view similar to that of FIG. 2, of a modified arrangement.

Summary of the invention The invention is based on the idea that commonly in bathrooms some water consumers, such as the bath tub or bidet, are disposed close to the wash basin or can at least be easily arranged close thereto when the bathroom is laid out.

According to the invention these consumers can be supplied with the required amount of water in a particularly advantageous manner if the necessary fittings or at least parts of said fittings, or even the conduits, are laterally disposed of or protrude from the wash basin.

According to the invention, the flange of the Wash basin which conventionally runs in a straight line toward the attachment or back plate for connecting the basin to the wall is widened toward the bottom so that preferably at the left and right sides of the wash basin, or on one side thereof only, a protective side portion is formed and a space is created between the latter and the wash basin main body, which is protected from lateral view.

In conformity with the invention, these protective side portions are preferably formed integrally with the basin when the latter is manufactured. Separately produced side portions, however, which are later on mounted to the main body, in the manner described in the invention, serve the same purpose.

Detailed description of a preferred embodiment Referring now to the drawing in detail, the wash basin 10 shown therein comprises a main body 11, and a back portion 12 with openings 13 for mounting the basin to a Wall by conventional means. The wash basin is further equipped with a flange 14 extending all around the basin. From this flange 14 there extend on both sides of the basin two side portions or aprons 15 in downward direction. In conventional basins the flange 14 would end as shown in dash lines in FIG. 1.

The side portions 15 are provided with at least one aperture or opening 16 which is preferably shaped during the production process of the side portion. Instead of this aperture or in addition thereto, at least one preformed aperture or opening 17 may be provided which has not been pierced completely. When the occasion arises, it can simply be pierced or punched out with a suitable tool in such a manner that the desired clean cut opening appears after this piercing process has been completed.

According to the invention, in such an opening 16 or- 17 a fitting 18, or at least parts thereof, i.e. a water outlet or faucet, a mixing chamber, a shower, etc., are totally or partly mounted in a manner known per se so that an adjacent location requiring water, as for instance a bath tub 19, may actually be supplied with water. The opening may also be used for merely passing through a water supply line 20 which may serve to supply an adjacent location which is not quite as close as the bath tub 19.

In order to ensure a flexible support and to provide for a tolerance for the fittings, pipes, etc., a bushing 21 of flexible material, preferably plastic material, may be provided in the aperture 16 in a manner known per se. Thus, there is no danger that the material of the side portion, preferably ceramics, can be broken due to tensions or force used during insertion of the fitting or pipe.

The side portion according to the invention has yet another advantage. Due to its shape, it has the effect that the fittings or parts thereof, for example, a water inlet or stop valve 22, which can be disposed in the free space 23 between the side portion or portions 15 and the actual main body 11, cannot be seen. Thus the same effect is achieved in a simple manner which is otherwise brought about by embedding the fittings or pipes in the wall under a protective cover, in heretofore known arrangements, which is much more expensive.

A further advantage resulting from integrally attaching the side portions to the main body is the rigidity of the wash basin achieved thereby, which is particularly desirable because of the way the fittings are mounted in accordance with the invention.

The fact that the fittings 18 and water supply pipes 24 are mounted to or arranged at the side portions 15 or in the free space 23 between the side portions 15 and the main body 11 instead of being disposed in the wall, has the further advantage that the various parts can easily be reached and defects, possibly occurring during the operation, can be repaired more easily.

In FIG. 3, the side portion 15a is a part separate from the main body 11 of the wash basin, and is for instance made of wood. Screws 25 connect side portion 15a to the main body 11. It is of course to be understood that the arrangement of FIG. 3 may be symmetrical, i.e. one

side portion 15a each may be provided on each side of main body 11.

It is, of course, to be understood that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment shown in the drawing, but comprises any modification within the scope of the appended claims. Thus, the side portions may be separate parts connected to the main body by any suitable means, as for instance, screws. Moreover, the side portions may consist of a material different from that of the wash basin main body, as for instance wood.

I claim:

1. A wash basin comprising: a main body, and at least one side portion laterally, substantially vertically depending from and at least partly surrounding the main body and having an aperture receiving and closely surrounding a water supply line therein for supplying water to a location adjacent the wash basin, in which said side portion has aweakened portion adapted to be pierced for receiving a water supply fitting.

2. A wash basin comprising: a main body and at least one side portion laterally, substantially vertically depending from and at least partly surrounding the main body and having an aperture receiving and closely surrounding a water supply line therein for supplying water to a location adjacent the wash basin, wherein a fitting is arranged between the main body and the side portionwhich includes a cylindrical bushing. of flexible material extending the length of the aperture in said aperture for supportin g said water supply line fitting therein.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 223,907 1/1880 Hammerstein 44 230,403 7/ 1880 Carpenter 44 613,747 8/1898 Williams 44 1,122,463 12/1914 Barker 44 1,193,145 8/1916 Hinsdale 4195 1,616,313 2/1927 Farmer 44 1,931,392 10/1933 Otwell 44 2,061,971 11/1936 Lefiland 44 2,348,238 5/ 1944 Beeke et a1. 4-192 FOREIGN PATENTS 204,135 9/ 1923 Great Britain.

425,279 3/ 1935 Great Britain.

667,528 6/ 1929 France.

LAVERENE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner. D. MASSENBERG, Assistant Examiner. 

